Work and Life Balance

Work-life balance is the ability of employees to balance the needs of their workplace with other needs in their lives. It does not mean dividing an employee’s time in half between their home and professional lives. What may work for one employee may not work for another, because of differences in work, home lives, interests, stress. etc.

“Health Canada estimates the annual financial loss from the challenge of employees balancing work and family obligations at $2.7 billion due to lost time relating to stress, medical leaves, dealing with dependants, and other family responsibilities” (The Business Case for Work-Life Balance, HRSDC, Government of Canada).

Indicators of a Work and Life Balance Problem

There are many indicators of a work and life balance problem. Some of these include:

High staff turnover or inability to keep staff

Increased sick or unpaid leave

Increased stress symptoms among staff

Moodiness

Memory problems

Nervous habits

Low productivity

Sense of depression

Need to re-evaluate existing staff benefits

Increased personal calls at work

There are many solutions to help increase work-life balance. Remember that there is no one solution that achieves work-life balance for all employees. Here are a few:

Flex Schedules: allowing employees to start and finish work at different hours

Job Sharing: allowing two or more employees to share a job

Employee Assistance Programs: supporting employees to get third-party help

Allowing an employee to bank hours for later

Allowing employees to complete personal tasks during work time, with expectation of finishing work tasks as well